Hungry Eyes
by Scarlet has Fantasy Issues
Summary: Sesshomaru had guarded the village below his castle for many years and now he is in need of a mate. And he has a certain maiden in mind - a hanyou that his mother would not approve of. Sesshomaru/OC (An attempt to rewrite "Hanging By A Moment" to allow character development and future chapters.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys! Merry belated Christmas and Happy Holidays! I'm presenting to you this new story. It's basically an attempt to correct the horrors of "Hanging By A Moment" while giving some more backstory, plus giving me a way to write more if I feel so inclined. The smutty parts aren't any better and are mostly glossed over, unlike the "Hanging By A Moment" scene. I apologize, but those scenes are not my forte.**

**Anyway, please give this a chance and let me know what you think! And begin!**

**OOOOOOOOO**

A young woman looked up from the meal she had been preparing when she heard the sound of the village scout calling out that someone was coming. Glancing around, she saw that her father was not around to scold her from leaving the house when the meal could burn. Carefully arranging her hair to hide the slight points of her ears, the woman walked out of the house and looked to the west where the Demon Lord ruled the land from his castle. Many of her fellow villagers were looking towards the west as well, and the girl saw the reason why.

Coming into town was a squat little demon, bearing the two headed staff that had scared children into many sleepless nights. Her eyes stared at him, transfixed as he made his way to the center of the village. For such a small creature, he had the village squirming in fear. Fear of what, she was not sure even they knew.

"Pathetic humans," the demon began, glaring at them all from his high perch as he pulled out a scroll of paper. "The Great Lord Sesshomaru demands a sacrifice. On the night before the moon becomes full, Lord Sesshomaru demands that a virgin maiden be given to him. Ignore his demands and he will retract his protection of your pathetic lives and let loose his power upon your worthless hides." The demon tossed the scroll of paper onto the ground at the village leader's feet and turned. "Be smart or be dead. It doesn't matter which to me…" He chuckled deep within his throat. "Though I know which I'd prefer…"

The village leader stooped and collected the scroll as soon as the demon messenger was beyond the village boundaries. The crowd around him buzzed with words that blended in with each other until none could be readily divided. She could distinguish sounds of anger and of fear, but no more than that. Her gaze slid up to the castle in the distant west, wondering why of all the years of protection, the Great Demon Lord would demand a virgin sacrifice now.

She jumped when her arm was grasped just above the elbow. Her amber colored eyes turned towards her father and her mouth opened to speak, but he cut across her.

"Get back in the house, Child," he ordered in a low voice. "Now."

The young girl nodded and backed away from him. Her eyes turned to gaze at the people she had lived next to for all of her life and saw that some of the older ones were looking at her. Heat flooded her cheeks and she quickly turned and hurried back to her father's home. Pausing just outside the door, she glanced back towards the castle to the west.

_What are you planning, my Lord? _she wondered, feeling like someone was watching her.

OOOOOOOOO

Sesshomaru stood at the top of a tree near his castle, watching the little village below with little interest. His little demon helper came scurrying beneath the tree, out of breath and leaned heavily against the trunk. Sesshomaru's cool gaze barely lowered to look at the peon.

"You tire easily, Jaken," he commented, speaking to his demon helper. "Perhaps your usefulness is deteriorating as you age…Another younger, stronger underling may have to be found soon."

Jaken shook her head and straightened, desperately trying to make his tiredness seem to be over with. "No, my Lord! I'm – I'm as strong as ever! I may be getting even stronger!"

The Demon Lord didn't spare another breath on the fitness of his underling, choosing instead to look out at the village in the shadow of his castle. He could see the villagers scrambling around, probably thinking of ways to appease him, but he would not be appeased with small gifts or money for protection anymore. He wanted something more – something that would last longer than any of their pathetic lives would. And as his mother had pointed out in her demanding manner, she wanted to have grandchildren to take up the throne should he die.

It was amusing to think that he would have had to deal with a human female to create his future half-demon heirs. But the gods favored him with a blessing. It was a small one and one that he would not have wanted had he had the choice in the matter.

There was a young hanyou living in the village. He had seen her when she was a little girl during one of his brief walkthroughs. Then he hadn't seen her again until she was a young woman. It did not surprise him that the villagers shunned her. A demon child among their pathetic kind was something that they dreaded. From what he saw, she had no friends and instead worked hard in the garden behind her father's house.

He knew for certain that the villagers would not part with their precious daughters easily. Not the ones who were all pathetically human. And it was true that he didn't want to have a human mate because they died rather quickly and could not handle living with a demon of his power. The mother of InuYasha had proved as much. And Sesshomaru didn't want to have to constantly replace his mate when they started to lose their usefulness.

"They will send the hanyou female," Sesshomaru commented, watching the said girl slip from her father's house to gather vegetables from the garden.

"She is just as unworthy of your seed as the vile humans she lives with," Jaken muttered and then let out a yelp as the tree bark beside him exploded.

Sesshomaru's claws were pointed at his minion's throat. "The hanyou will suffice. And should she become my mate, you will not disrespect her in my presence. Is that understood, Jaken?"

Jaken nodded and fell on his knees, bowing over and over again. "Yes, my Lord! I understand perfectly! Not a word shall be said against her from these lips…I swear!"

The demon lord lifted his gaze away from the trembling form of his minion and turned it back towards the village so far below. The hanyou was gone; possibly back into her father's house to continue living like she had in the mud. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed for a moment and he turned his back on the village, heading back towards his castle home.

The hanyou would be his by the next full moon.

OOOOOOOOO

The girl looked up as she cleared away the remnants of the meal she had shared with her father. "Someone's coming," she told him quietly. "A group of men…No more than six, Father."

Her father rose to his feet and peered through the small window. The young hanyou watched his back stiffen and opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong. He turned his head so that she could see his face in profile. There was a sudden weariness draped over his face, aging it beyond his years.

"Child, do not go outside," he told her. "Do not let anyone see you. I will handle this."

And with a last warning look, her father stepped from the house and closed the door behind him. The hanyou felt a chill settle over her shoulders and went over to stand by the fire. There was a window nearby and she could see the castle where the Demon Lord of the Western domain lived. As a child, she had been terrified by his indifferent gaze and sheer power. The stories of his deeds had passed into her life and she had been raised in the same fear as the human children beside her. Yet now, she looked back into her memories of the Demon Lord and she saw something different – something that a child would never have dreamed about.

Her cheeks grew warm when she thought about how attractive she remembered the Demon Lord being. She bit her bottom lip and told herself that her father would be disappointed if he found out the thoughts she had about the protector of their village. But she knew she couldn't help it. Not since most of the young men she had grown up with would not even look in her direction unless it was with lust. She had become quite aware of the whisperings of how she would make a better whore than a wife.

_They don't know what they're talking about_, she reasoned, turning her gaze from the window. _One day, the right man will come along and he will love me for who I am and make me a mother to many children…Be it man, demon, or hanyou, we will be happy for the rest of our lives._

Her gaze slid over onto the door when she heard her name being spoken. There was anger and resentment in the voices and she thought she could hear her father's teeth grinding together. The instinct to go out and defend her father came creeping into her body, but he had told her to stay inside and she rarely went against his orders.

"Why must it be my daughter that the Demon Lord takes?" her father demanded. "There are far prettier maids in this village. Ones with far more talent and standing than my daughter could ever dream of having. Why not have a family with more than one daughter hand over one to him? Why does it have to be my _only _child?"

"You know very well that the Demon Lord would have no human at his side, regardless of how beautiful the girl might be," a voice said and the hanyou recognized it as the village leader's hard voice. "He has made it very clear that he doesn't care for humans – no mortal man could please him, but he must have servants to rule over. Your daughter straddles both worlds and would appease his hunger without causing him to hate her."

"But she is my only child," her father insisted. "She is all that I have left of my wife."

The hanyou was surprised to find her father's protests failing. Failing him and failing her. She tore her gaze away from the door and glanced into the fire, hoping that someone would save her from the sounds around her.

"You have to face the truth," the leader said. "If your daughter remained in this village, she would find no husband. She would be shunned for the rest of her life and never know the joy of having children of her own. In the arms of the Demon Lord, she may find herself with the life you wanted her to have. He may learn to love her and, if that is the case, she may live many years in the comforts of his castle…We have already decided. She cannot stay here. There will be no other virgin offered to the Demon Lord. And we will take her to him by force, if we must." The young hanyou held her breath as the leader continued to speak. "You know this is the best for her."

"But –" her father began.

"Father, please," the hanyou said, opening the door and looking at the group of men, who drew back when they saw her. "Please do not fight them…I – I will go with them. I will take the _honor_ of preserving the relationship between _our_ people and the great Demon Lord." Her amber colored eyes softened as she held her father's gaze. "I do not wish for the village to be torn apart by something so trivial." She placed a hand on her father's arm. "Come Father, your evening tea is ready."

Her father hesitated but nodded and allowed himself to be steered back into their small house. The young hanyou glanced over her shoulder at the men who had tried to hurt her father, allowing her fangs to flash at them. They drew back in fear and she smiled to herself, letting the door close behind her and her father.

"Child, I told you not to leave the house," her father said, easing himself into a sitting position.

"I stepped through the door, no farther," the hanyou told him, pouring him a small cup of tea. "And I could not let them manhandle you, Father. You are too old to be fighting with men like them." She frowned at him. "I worry for your health."

"The worry is needless. I can take care of myself. It's you I care about, Child," the man said, holding the cup between his trembling hands. "You are young and naïve and I cannot bear the idea of losing you to someone who could never love you."

The daughter sat next to the frail old man and pressed a hand against his arm. "I will get by…I may not be loved, but I will be cared for. And I will have the power to help you live in comfort…" Her eyes turned down. "The village leader was right, though."

"How so?" the old man asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"No one in this village would ever want me a wife," the hanyou said, clasping her hands on her lap. "It is a good thing that I am going to the Demon Lord, Father. Mother would have approved and one day, I will have many children…as long as the Demon Lord wants to keep me around."

The old man looked at her. "Are you scared?"

"Yes…but this is something I must do."

OOOOOOOOO

The hanyou was prepared for the Demon Lord's sacrifice over the next few days. The village women, who had once shunned her for the blood that she had been created from, took her under their wing as they would one day do with their own daughters. Her skin was washed and scented with pleasant smelling oils. Her moon-pale hair was brushed out and tied back in a loose ribbon, leaving several strands to frame her face. They dressed her in a short white summer kimono and tied it with a thick blue sash. There were no shoes on her feet and her legs were left bared to the world.

She was allowed to visit her mother's resting place with her father at her side. A small prayer was whispered for her mother to grant her courage in the fate she now faced. Men from the village had kept close to her, possibly afraid that she would take off and leave them with no ready sacrifice for the Demon Lord. The girl considered the idea of forcing another virgin to take her place, but she knew that it would not work. She, and she alone, had to go into the life of the Demon Lord of the Western Domain and nothing could change that.

Her goodbyes to her father were cut short by the village's men who grabbed her and forced her into the forest just beyond the village. In a clearing stood a post of wood that faced towards the castle and away from the village. She squirmed as they tied her hands behind her back and around the post, trying to convince them that the rope wasn't necessary. There was no place for her to run. Couldn't they see that?

With a final tug, the men disappeared from the forest and she heard their footsteps fade away. Her eyes turned up towards the moon as it rose above the tree line and a single crystalline tear slid down her cheek. Somewhere beyond her senses, she knew her father was in mourning for her and she was not yet dead.

_Father be strong. I will be fine. I will be strong, like you told me to. But you must be strong too. Mother would have wanted it to be this way. Don't weep long, Father. I will be safe._

She stared at her feet for what felt like years, but knew it was only a few hours. The chill of night settled over her and she shivered at the kiss of the cool wind. That's when she heard footsteps approaching. The hanyou closed her eyes and took a deep breath, telling herself not to be afraid of the Demon Lord. He was her owner now and it would dishonor her parents if she was going to show fear to the man who would take care of her.

The sounds of the Demon Lord's approach ended as if he had paused. The hanyou turned her gaze up, feeling the intensity of an unseen gaze upon her skin. He was standing closer to the shadows of the nearby trees, allowing very little of his face to be touched by the moonlight. The hanyou looked at him for a long moment, feeling her heart start to race and then slow down. There was no love in the Demon Lord's eyes – none that she could see.

_It cannot happen instantaneously_, she reminded herself, lowering her eyes respectfully. _Not when he knows that human blood taints me…Maybe he would never love me._

"A hanyou virgin," the Demon Lord said, stepping closer. "Chosen by the pathetic lot of worms that don't deserve the mud they eat…"

"Please, my Lord, don't insult my father's people," the young woman whispered, meeting his gaze again for just a moment. "They were only trying to protect their daughters…"

"And by doing so, they have guaranteed that none of their daughters will be wrapped in the finer things…" The Demon Lord put two of his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up. "What do they call you?"

"Ai."

Sesshomaru nodded and turned her head so he could see it in profile, first to the left and then to the right. "Hmm…you are rather beautiful for a hanyou."

Ai's body shivered. "Please, my Lord, there is very little beauty in a hanyou like me."

The Demon Lord's eyes hardened and he gripped her chin a little harder. "If I say you are beautiful, then you will know that you are. Do you understand that?"

The hanyou's eyes widened slightly. "Yes, my Lord."

She was surprised to see the barest hint of a smirk on his face as he let hers go. He reached around her and cut through the rope that bound her to the pole. Ai could not keep her moan of relief in her throat when her hands were freed from their restraints and heard Sesshomaru chuckle. With surprising gentleness, the Demon Lord grabbed one of her hands and held it between them. His thumb rubbed over the angry red marks that were embedded against her skin from the ropes.

"This is the humans' last chance to hurt you," he commented, releasing Ai's hand when she sucked in a small, painful breath. "Would you like to exact revenge for it?"

The idea had crossed her mind many times before, but the image of her father's pitiful face filled her mind's eye. Ai shook her head and rubbed at the red marks. "No, my Lord. I don't wish to hurt them back. They – they are behind me and not worth my time anymore." She lifted her eyes to meet his. "I am doing this because they need your continued protection, my Lord."

"Is that all?"

_Because you're the only chance I will ever have at being loved_, Ai thought, shaking her head. "There are a few reasons, but I have no right to mention them, my Lord." She rubbed her thumb over the red indentation in her skin on her right wrist. "I am your humble servant and I wish to make you happy."

Sesshomaru nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her back towards the forest he had emerged from. Ai didn't say another word, afraid to make the Demon Lord mad. Her heart beat heavily in her breast and her thoughts wondered back to what her father must be going through.

_Be strong Father_, she thought, looking forward again. _Mother would have wanted it to be this way…_

Neither demon spoke for several minutes as they traveled through the forest on a path that only one of them knew. Ai's nose twitched a little when she smelled a fire burning with the undertones of meat being cooked. It took all of her control to keep her stomach from revealing how hungry she had become. There was no way that the Demon Lord would approve of such weakness in his mate. Her eyes fell upon a cave that glowed from within – a cave that she had been warned to stay away from when she was a child as it had been rumored to be full of demons from Hell that loved to feast upon children.

The Demon Lord ushered her into the cave and continued leading her deeper into it. Ai's eyes found the fire burning at the back of the cave with food laid out around it. Meat sizzled on the hot rocks near the fire and fruit sat in bowls nearby. Her tongue swiped across her bottom lip and she let her eyes scan the rest of the cave. Heat flooded her face when she noticed something off to the far side.

Scattered on the far side of the cave's back were plush pillows and blankets of the finest silk and fur. It reminded her of a nest. One that she knew that she would be entering that night.

_He won't waste time in getting me in his bed_, Ai thought, tearing her eyes away from the nest of wealth. _And I can do nothing to stop him. But do I really want to? To stop him?_

OOOOOOOOO

Sesshomaru looked at the hanyou next to him as he indicated for her to sit down next to the fire. She sat, tucking her feet under her legs, and remained silent, watching the flames for moment. With slow movements to keep from startling her, he picked up a pair of knives and offered her one. He made no explanation of what she should do, instead choosing to stab a piece of meat with his knife and started to eat. Ai followed suit after a few moments and Sesshomaru smiled inwardly, watching the expressions pass over her face. She had clearly not been treated to the best meals in the land.

_But that will change_, Sesshomaru thought, breathing in slowly.

He could tell that she was in heat just by her scent. The urges to take her were there and very hard to ignore. Sesshomaru had planned for it to be like this. He had watched over the village long enough to track the daily routine of the girl and he knew whatever her body did. She was always in heat on the full moon and at her most vulnerable.

Ai's nose twitched as she chewed and she turned her gaze on him. Sesshomaru pretended not to notice. He could hear her heart beating quickly in her chest, slowed down, and then back up again.

_She's nervous_, Sesshomaru realized, stabbing another piece of meat on the end of his knife. _Like any virgin maiden should be._

The great Demon Lord allowed himself one moment of tenderness and put his hand upon her knee. Ai's face turned towards him again and she stopped chewing for a moment. When he made no other movement, she swallowed and returned to eating her meal.

OOOOOOOOO

Ai sat back when she had eaten her fill and set the knife down next the fire it had originally been by. She idly stroked her hair, though she knew she would rather stroke the fur that Sesshomaru possessed. Her eyes turned towards him and she knew that he could feel her nervousness. Yet, there was something else in his eyes that she had only seen in glimpses back with the boys in her father's village.

_There can be no delaying this now_, Ai realized, watching Sesshomaru rise to his feet. _He is my master now and I must do what he wants me to do._

When he held out his hand to her, Ai instinctively placed hers in his. Sesshomaru helped her to her feet and then let her go. The hanyou watched him remove his armor, heat flooding her face and her body was trembling again.

_Stop it! Stop acting like this is the end of the world!_ Ai chastised herself mentally. _Do what you're supposed to do and do not dishonor your father or mother!_

Sesshomaru's body was bared to the world from the waist up and he turned to face her. Ai moved closer to him and lowered her gaze. With clumsy fingers, she gripped at the sash that bound her kimono shut and tried to undo it. Sesshomaru's skilled hands pushed hers away and he snuck one around her waist. The hanyou shivered at the contact with his warm body and a small gasp of air escaped her lips. As close as she was to him, she could hear the soft chuckle buried in his chest.

The Demon Lord's free hand plucked at the sash around her and the sash fell freely to the ground. Ai trembled under his hands as he pulled away her short summer kimono, letting it sink around her shoulders which allowed it to keep her breasts covered. Ai glanced up into his amber colored eyes and saw the look again. She knew that he was holding in his carnal desires. She could see it and feel it.

"My Lord?" she whispered.

"You do not have to do this tonight, if you do not wish to," Sesshomaru told her in a low voice. "There will be other times."

Ai's widened a little and searched his for any sign of trickery. There was none that she could see. Yet, how could a Demon Lord tell his servant that she had control over the time they were to mate? It was unheard of and made her heart ache just thinking about it.

The Demon Lord made no move to further disrobe her, his eyes trained on her face. Ai moved onto her tiptoes and placed her hand at the back of Sesshomaru's neck, not knowing how she knew how to do any of this. She brushed her lips against his, softly at first and then with more pressure, and pressed her body flush against his more solid one. His hands gripped her arms tightly and he held her closer and closer still.

Moments passed and he had her completely naked to the world and he was laying her on the pile of furs and silken blankets.

The hanyou gasped as his tip brushed against her and stared up into his eyes. She saw the apology in his eyes, knowing without words that he didn't want to have to hurt her. Ai reached up and stroked his face, pulling it closer to hers as she lifted her hips up against his. A small cry escaped her lips as he sheathed himself inside of her and tears of pain smarted in her eyes.

Sesshomaru kissed away her tears as he slowly moved inside of her, allowing her to adjust to the new experience. When she moved under him, leaning into his touch, Sesshomaru started moving again. Little pants and kittenish moans came from her as she felt her body flood with the strange new heat of passion like she had never felt before. Ai felt his lips brush over her tender flesh, sending fire across her skin and making her bite her bottom lip to hold back screams.

The Demon Lord looked down at her as she muted her sounds and she saw the light in his eyes. "Do not hold back on me," he ordered and his lips found a place at her neck. "Scream your pleasure to the world, Ai."

Ai shook her head and stared up at the world, biting her lip against all the sounds. Sesshomaru picked up the pace when her body moved with his and his teeth pierced the place where her neck met her shoulder. A scream of his name echoed around the cave from her lips and she felt the growl of satisfaction vibrate against her flesh as he soothed the painful burn with his warm lips. Ai panted and moved against him as she felt herself nearing the edge of sanity. She wrapped her arms around him, digging her claws into the skin of his back and arched her hips to meet his.

Sesshomaru drove harder into her, deep growls rasping from between his lips as he brought her closer to the end. Ai clung to him more and cried out when she fell over the edge. Her eyes opened a little when she felt Sesshomaru tense up, thinking that she had done something wrong. The Demon Lord moved once more, thrusting himself deep in within her and Ai felt him fall over the same edge that she had. He moved slowly for a few moments as they rode out their climax and then removed himself from her, earning a small sound from Ai's lips. Ai watched him fall to the side and felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her against his chest.

She closed her eyes when his cheek touched her head. The tenderness of his actions had been unexpected after all that she had been taught back in her father's village, but welcomed. Ai breathed in slowly as Sesshomaru rubbed his hand over her stomach.

"Ai, you are my mate," Sesshomaru whispered, his voice still husky from the actions of before. "From this day until the end of our lives." His hand stilled on her stomach. "And I shall protect you and our pup with my life…"

Ai opened her eyes a little and felt the tears fill her eyes again, though a smile touched her lips again. _Mother, Father, please bless this new life of mine. Watch over my mate and my child as you have watched over me. _She rolled over to look at Sesshomaru and snuggled closer to him. _I have found my home.  
_

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: I'm thinking that maybe the title wasn't the best, but it may turn out to be all right if I decide to continue on with this for a little more. What do you think? What do you like? What do you hate? Please leave a review in the little box and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season into the New Year and beyond! -Scarlet**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is just a small continuance of the blurb that I wrote. It's rather choppy and cliché, but I had to get this idea down so that more room could be made for other stories. Please forgive any errors and please keep the flames to a minimum. **

**I hope that you enjoy this as you read.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

"Sesshomaru," Ai said, drawing the attention of her mate when she saw him in a room. She shifted the hold she had on her two year old baby girl, moving the child onto her hip. "May I speak with you?"

The Demon Lord's amber gaze roamed over the hanyou's body, taking in the rounded mass that was her stomach. Ai had endured that same glance two times before, but never tired of the small affectionate gleam in her mate's eyes. His eyes lingered only a moment on the child in his mate's arms before meeting Ai's stare. He drew closer to her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"How much longer is your mother going to be with us?" Ai asked, casting a nervous glance around them.

"A few more days," Sesshomaru answered, watching her with the usual coolness he used when in the company of others. "Why? Do you have a problem with that, Ai?"

The hanyou knew better than to lie to him after their four and a half years together. She straightened her spine and let her frown show. "Yes, but your mother has a bigger problem with me," Ai pointed out. "She blames me for the tainting of your bloodline and looks at me like I am as unworthy of your love as a common human." She glanced away from her mate. "I might as well be a commoner to her – a hanyou with blood so different from yours, from hers. Have you seen the ways she looks at me?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "My mother is a very hard person to please, yes. However, there is nothing she can do, Ai. We have mated. We have two pups and one on the way. What my mother wants is irrelevant."

"Still, I can't stand to have her stare at me like that. May I go down to my father's village?" she asked. "He has not seen Haru or Chia in several months." The softest smile touched her lips as she looked at the baby girl in her arms. "I know they miss him as much as he misses them. We will be out of your hair, my Lord."  
"You don't need my permission to go," Sesshomaru told her, pressing a hand against her shoulder. "Just come home before night falls. The forest is dangerous even under my guardianship."

Ai nodded and turned, adjusting her grip on Chia's slight form. "Haru?" she called out softly. "Haru, come to me."

A little boy came running from a room, his little pelt streaming behind him. Graced with the structure of his father's face and the fire of his mother's eyes, the boy was a very handsome creature. He straightened when he realized that his father was in the room and placed his hand on the hilt of his little sword – a gift that Sesshomaru had given him on his third birthday. Haru bowed his head to his father and then looked at his mother with burning amber eyes.

"You called for me, Mother?"

"Yes. We're going to go see your grandfather down in the village," Ai told him, holding her hand out.

Haru's nose scrunched up a little. "Is it because of what Grandmother says about you, Mother?"

"Partially," Ai admitted, stealing another glance in her mate's direction as Haru grasped her hand. "But it's also so your grandfather can see you. It's been a while since we last went down to his village." She smiled as she squeezed her son's hand. "He will want to see how skilled you have become with your sword."

Haru perked up at those words and placed his hand once more on the hilt of his sword. His eyes turned to his father, full of pride and barely contained excitement. "Father, will it be all right for me to go with Mother? I will protect her for you."

Sesshomaru nodded and said nothing, though Ai noticed the smallest shadow of a smile on his lips. She turned when she heard the whisper of expensive cloth grazing the castle floors and sighed, bowing her head.

"I will be home by nightfall," Ai swore to her mate. "Goodbye."

Ai moved away from her mate, heading for the nearest door to the outside world. She could feel the hateful stare of her mate's mother on her back and bit back her acidic words that tasted like poison on her tongue. Haru was talking about the different battles that his father had won victory in, recounting with pride the stories that Jaken had told him. The hanyou was glad for the momentary distraction from the hate that her mother-in-law had placed on her shoulders from the moment that they had met.

OOOOOOOOO

"Is it not enough that the hanyou mocks me in the blood of my grandchildren that she must do it quietly in your ear whenever I turn my back?" Sesshomaru's mother demanded, coming to stand before her son. "You must train away that habit of hers."

"Mother," Sesshomaru said, turning his gaze upon the older woman. "I cannot train her to be anything that she was not meant to be. And she has never mocked you in the blood of our pups."

The Mother laughed. "She hasn't? My son, you jest. Have you not seen the blood? The way that she has deluded your father's noble blood and that of your own…Are you blind?"

"I am not blind, Mother. I have seen many things. And you had no problem with the idea of a hanyou becoming my mate, four years ago. But when you saw Ai, your opinion changed drastically."

"And why shouldn't it have changed? You brought a hanyou into this family that is a blow in your father's face. You brought in a _cat _demon, Sesshomaru. You mated and had children with a cat demon hanyou!"

Sesshomaru looked at his mother silently for a long moment. "You have no problem with the children, Lady Mother. I have seen you pick up Chia and coo at her as you once did to me. You look on Haru with fondness – and yet, you look on my mate, their mother, as if she is an abomination. Why is that?"

"I see the children taking after you as I saw you take after your father," Lady Mother said, moving to look at the artwork on the wall. "They possess the same features as you with only the eyes of their mother." She sighed. "The very idea that two races that have warred against each other since the beginning on time – dog and cat demons – have been brought together in such a fashion, it displeases me greatly. And to think that she has the blood of a human in her as well, it's unthinkable. Such creatures should not be created like that. It's – it's unnatural."

"Your hate for her is unnatural, Mother," Sesshomaru shot back. "It is out of character for you to hate someone like her. You were never like this when Rin was involved."

"Rin was a nice young girl for a human. She saved you and proved that you do have a heart that is more kind than the warlord that you wanted to be." Lady Mother sighed and shook her head. "I miss that young one."

"She is old now and a mother of her own brood." Sesshomaru folded his arms over his chest. "If you want to see her, she is only a few villages to the east."

"No, no…I will not disturb her and her quiet life." The older woman turned to look at her son. "She would have made a wonderful bride for you, my son. Despite the fact that she would die very soon in your love because of her humanity, she would have been happy to serve you as your mate. You both would have been happy."

"Perhaps, but we will never know if that could have been true. I have Ai as my mate and I will not be looking for any other. You will have to cope with that knowledge, Mother, because it will never change as long as there is air in my lungs." He turned away from her. "I will take my leave of you now. I have a domain to rule over."

OOOOOOOOO

Ai smiled as she watched her father hold Chia in his arms while Haru danced around, slashing his sword through the air. Many of the villagers that were outside were glancing at her and her small family as they worked at their daily chores. She knew that their hearts were envious with the knowledge that she would never have to till the land or get her hands dirty now that she was forever mated with the Demon Lord of the domain. All of their years of belittling her and shunning her from their lives had proved to make her land in the lap of luxury that they could only dream of, but she didn't feel the same.

She missed having the earth under her bare feet. She missed smelling the sweet scent of the flowers that she had planted by hand and tended so carefully. From where she sat, she could see the garden that her mother had planted years before she could help tend it and now saw that her father was the caretaker of that small space. Tears came to her eyes as she thought about the life that she had left behind when she went to her mate's castle. The age on her father's face reminded her that time was passing and that one day, she would know no one in the village because she would age only in time but never like them.

"She has your eyes," Ai's father said, bringing Ai back into the present. "As you have your mother's…The child will be very beautiful one day, Ai."

Ai allowed a smile to stretch across her lips and bowed her head. "Thank you, Father. Chia is the pride and joy of my Lord Sesshomaru." She snuck a quick glance in her son's direction when the boy paused in his imaginary swordfight. "As Haru has been since his early birth."

Haru grinned and returned to fighting his imagined enemy. Ai's father chuckled and looked at his daughter.

"Your mother would be thrilled to see how far you've come, Child," he told her. "This is the life that she would have wanted you to have. You and any other child that could have come from her womb…"

Ai carefully arranged her hands on her lap. "Mother would have had many children had she not sacrificed herself for this village. She won my mate's protection over this village by sacrificing herself in aid of his war against the invading ogres." Ai's eyes closed for a moment. "My mate now protects what she couldn't and I will never forget that. I will never let her sacrifice be made in vain or fall into the minds of the forgotten. Mother will be remembered for all time. As will you, Father."

She heard her father shift his weight as they sat there in silence. Haru stiffened suddenly, his nose wrinkling as the breeze moved through the village. Ai immediately turned her gaze on her son and felt her body tense as he bared his fangs.

"Haru?" she whispered.

"Mother, there are demons coming," Haru told her, moving closer to his family and holding his sword at the ready. "A large band of them. I can smell their stinking hides…"

Ai rose to her feet, letting her long kimono swirl around her legs as she did so. She took a deep breath and looked in the direction that her son was facing. The putrid scent of a demon's horde stung her sensitive nose as the trees in the distance swayed. If she listened closely, she could make out the sounds of heavy footsteps coupled with the growling orders of the demon leader.

"Father, please get back into your house," she ordered, glancing in his direction. "Haru, take your sister back to the castle. Summon your father and don't come back."

"But Mother -!" Haru protested when his grandfather placed Chia in his arms.

"Don't argue with me, Haru!" Ai snapped, not looking at him. "You need to get to safety and send your father down here. Now, go. And go quickly."

Haru sent one last look in his mother's direction before sliding his sister onto his back. Chia looked back at her mother with tears in her eyes. She waved a small hand and then was gone when Haru took off in the direction of their home. Ai sighed and turned to look at the people gathering outside of their homes.

"Get inside your homes if you wish to live," she ordered in a voice that bid no room for arguments. "There is a demon horde coming against our Lord Sesshomaru and they will not let any of you live should they catch you." She let her inner demon to be glimpsed through the darkening of her eyes and the extension of claws and fangs. "Sound the alarm and they will make a game out of you."

Ai's father moved closer to her, his hand brushing against her arm. "Child, you cannot stand up against an entire horde by yourself…Let our men –"

"Father, I cannot allow anyone in this village to get hurt," Ai told him, gently brushing off his hand. "Now, get into your home and stay in there no matter what happens. My mate will be here to protect us all when he hears. Please Father, just go inside."

Ai knew that the suddenly sad look on her father's face would never fade away from her memories. He bowed his head and hurried into the house that he had raised her in. All around her, she heard the sounds of doors closing and the soft breaths of people too scared to make any sort of noise. The young hanyou turned her gaze onto the woods once more and hoped that her skills would be enough to delay the horde until her mate could save them all. Her hand rested briefly against her stomach and she sent up a silent prayer to her mother, asking for protection of the child in her womb and those she had sent running to their father's arms.

"They will not harm any of my loved ones," Ai whispered to herself as the first of the horde came bursting through the trees. "I swear it, Mother."

OOOOOOOOO

"Father!" Haru's voice called out in an angry voice. "Father, you must help Mother!"

Sesshomaru turned his gaze onto his son when the child slid into the room where he was standing with his mother. Chia was on his son's back, her short claws digging into the boy's flesh and tears streamed down her face. Lady Mother immediately grabbed the child and held her against her chest, soothing her with a motherly touch.

"What has the hanyou gotten herself in to this time?" Lady Mother wondered aloud.

Haru stared up at his father, shaking and ignoring his grandmother's words. "Father, there is a demon horde invading Mother's village! Dozens of them!"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in alarm at the words coming from his son's mouth. "And what happened to Ai?"

"Mother stayed in the village to protect the humans," Haru said, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "Father, we have to go save her!"

"You will do no such thing," Lady Mother said, glaring at her grandson. "You are not skilled enough to handle a war against demons. Even unskilled ones. Sesshomaru –"

The Demon Lord needed no further prompting before he was running from his castle and out into the woods that surrounded it. His heart pounded heavily in his chest as he tore through the woods for the village that he had taken his mate from. His teeth ground together and his eyes only saw red.

_How could this have happened? How could a demon horde get by without alerting me? How could Ai think that she could fight back against a demon horde? That woman has never fought on her own before! _Sesshomaru's teeth grew sharper and ground together harder. _If they harm one hair on her head, they will all die painfully slow deaths!_

Sesshomaru scarcely forgot how to breathe until he was just within the sight of the village. Ai was surrounded by five of the demons, one of them clearly was the leader, and she was on her knees. The demon horde commander had grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back so that she was staring up at him. One wicked dagger was pressed against her throat as the demons got a laugh from her attempts to be free.

"How do you think it will feel to have that scum removed from your body and have my sword inside of you?" the demon asked, laughing deep in his throat.

"Touch my child and the Demon Lord of this realm will tear you apart!" Ai hissed up at him, her eyes burning like fiery jade.

The demons laughed and the commander pulled on Ai's hair a little more, jerking a small sound from her lips. The blade at her throat drew a small drop of blood that fell slowly down her ivory neck. She made no sound that indicated that she knew that it had happened.

"We are not scared of a demon lord that takes a weak hanyou into his fold," the demon commander said with a rough laugh. "Once that weakling falls, you will make a very nice whore, Hanyou!"

Sesshomaru's sword flew through many demons before they realized that they were under attack. He stopped moving and let the blood of the victims slide from his sword, while the corpses fell to the ground in pieces. The demon commander stared at Sesshomaru through narrowed eyes and jerked Ai to her feet, keeping a firm hold on the knife at her throat.

"Let the hanyou go," Sesshomaru ordered, not caring that the thirty remaining demons were circling around them. "Leave my domain and you will not suffer the embarrassment of defeat in front of your scum minions."

"Come any closer, Sesshomaru, and your hanyou whore will have a weeping red necklace to boast for your actions," the demon commander growled.

Sesshomaru's eyes found Ai's and he saw that there was a fire burning in them that she had rarely held onto. She gave the slightest nod, barely disturbing the location of the knife at her neck. Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and took a step back.

The demon commander chuckled deep in his throat. "That's right. Back away like the coward that you are!"

One of the demons behind the demon commander cried out in alarm as his right arm was bit off. Startled, the demon commander loosened his grip on Ai and she managed to slip away from him. Blood spurted from all sides as some unseen force ripped through the demons and Sesshomaru moved forward, cutting down anyone in his path to get to his mate. Jaken cackled as he took care of what demons that he could, leaving the ground bloody and wet where he danced among the flames from his staff.

"Ai!" Sesshomaru called out, losing sight of her as he dealt with the demon horde. "Ai, leave this place or –!"

The great Demon Lord fell silent as he saw the hanyou standing behind the demon commander, hoe in hand. Rather than use the powers that she had naturally been given by her bloodline, she swung that strange garden tool and sliced the demon's arm off. The demon commander howled in alarm and spun away, glaring at her as his sword fell to the ground.

"No one threatens my children or mate!" the hanyou spat at the commander, twirling the garden tool like a staff. "My Lord, Sesshomaru," she said, adjusting her stance as she looked at him. "Do with him what you wish, but make it quick. He doesn't deserve anything else."

Ai turned away from Sesshomaru and walked off to the garden behind her father's home. Sesshomaru watched her for a moment before the cackling of the demon commander met his ears again.

"The hanyou whore…She has more guts than you," the demon commander laughed. "When the others come, they will make you watch her become their whore and make her watch you die."

Sesshomaru withdrew his sword once more and moved closer to the fallen demon. The commander lifted his chin up defiantly, panting heavily with the blood loss that his injury was causing him. The sword raised and struck out at the demon commander, bringing forth a bone-chilling screech into the air.

The demon commander forgot about the missing limb on his torso and instead gripped at the bloodied crotch of his pants. Sesshomaru moved back a step and glared down at the demon commander with nothing short of fury on his face. He wiped the blood from his sword on the body of one of the commander's men.

"You will go back to your friends," Sesshomaru ordered, sheathing his sword once it was clean. "You will show them what has happened to you. You will show them how you have lost your right to be a male, to be a father to any weak demon offspring. And you will show them how this Demon Lord protects his realm and his mate. Go now and never come back."

Sesshomaru moved to walk past the demon commander, but the demon grabbed at his pants, stopping the Demon Lord. The commander looked up at Sesshomaru with hatred and pain heavily lacing his eyes. His breath rasped between his lips as he retightened his grip on the cloth.

"I cannot return to my people," he hissed. "An honorable opponent would not send me to the humiliation that you say you would."

"You do not deserve my pity or an honorable death," Sesshomaru told the demon. "Jaken."

The demon henchman appeared and bowed his head. "Yes my Lord?"

"Send this pathetic excuse of a demon back to his people," Sesshomaru commanded, not looking at either demon. "See that he doesn't come crawling back…I never want to see his hide in my realm again."

"Yes, my Lord." Jaken cackled as he danced around the demon commander.

Sesshomaru followed his nose to the location of his mate. He found her behind her father's hut, kneeling among the white and pink flowers that covered the ground. Her head was bowed as her hand smoothed over a stone bearing the name of someone he had barely known. The sound of slow dripping came to his ears and his nose picked up the scent of his mate's blood.

"Ai," he said, approaching her slowly. "Where did the bastard hurt you? Your neck – did he cut it -?"

"It's all right, Sesshomaru," Ai whispered, not moving from her position. "The wound is very small – the blood just makes it look worse than it really is." She pressed one hand against her stomach and smoothed the other hand over the stone before her. "I will recover in time. Thanks to my mother's protection and the protection that you have given me."  
Sesshomaru moved closer and knelt next to his mate. He saw the line of red at her throat, a cruel weeping necklace that marked her part in the fight. The blood dripped slowly down the hanyou's chest and collected at the low collar of her kimono. Sesshomaru felt a brief flare of anger and bloodlust, wanting nothing more than to call Jaken back with the demon commander so that he could rent the demon into small pieces so slowly that the demon would wish for death.

"Sesshomaru," Ai's voice came to his ears again. Her pale hand touching his. "Are the children safe?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru answered, his gaze softening as he held hers. "Both made it home without being touched by enemy hands."

"Good." Ai touched her stomach again and then brought her hand up to her cheek, brushing away the stray tears that slid down it. "Your mother must consider me too weak now…having you come after me like you did."

Sesshomaru helped his mate to her feet and brushed his knuckles against her face, pushing the stray strands of white blonde hair away before cupping her face in his hand. "You are not weak, Ai. You are a mother and followed the instincts that a mother would. Should my mother consider you weak, she would be wrong. This village and its people are a testament to your deeds and cannot be ignored." He pressed a small kiss to her forehead. "You were very brave, my mate, and I am proud of you."

OOOOOOOOO

Ai walked beside her mate as they made it to the grounds of their home. She had not cleaned away the blood at her throat, the burn of the demon commander's weapon still plaguing the small cut that formed a necklace that wept red. Her eyes scoured the castle for her children, but didn't have to look long before Chia came streaking across the floor and into her mother's arms. Ai stroked her baby's hair, making small soothing noises as the baby clutched at her tightly.

"It's all right, Chia," she whispered, moving the child so that her blood would not stain the little one's clothing. "Everything is all right."

The little girl pulled back and looked at her mother. Her amber colored eyes turned down to the wound at Ai's neck and widened. Without making a sound, she pointed at the wound and then started squirming. Ai set her down and the demon child moved away, running into another room.

"Mother," Haru said, appearing in front of her. "The bastards cut you?! Shall Father and I go after their stinking hides and make them pay?"

"The battle is over, Haru," Sesshomaru told the boy. "The enemies are gone."

Haru's eyes flashed with disappointment and his hand gripped hard on his sword's hilt. "I am sorry that I ran away from you, Mother. I should have done more."

"You protected your sister, Haru. That's all I wished for you to do." She pressed her hand against his arm briefly. "There will be more battles in the future that you can fight in. I promise you that you will have many opportunities to bloody your sword with honor."

Haru wrapped his arms around Ai in a brief hug before pulling back as his sister came running back with a bowl in her hand. Water splashed on the floor as the girl hurried to her mother's side, a determined look on her face. Chia set the half-empty bowl of water down next to her mother and dipped a small white cloth into it. She raised the dampened cloth to her mother's neck and brushed lightly at the wound, drawing back only once when a hiss passed between Ai's lips. Ai offered her a small smile and remained motionless as the babe cleared away the blood.

"Get better, Mommy," Chia whispered, dropping the bloodied cloth into the water. The babe jumped onto her tiptoes and pressed a small kiss to the corner of the wound.

Ai allowed the little girl to jump into her arms and she hugged her tightly to her chest. The whisper of cloth against the floor told her that her mate's mother was approaching. She turned her gaze in the direction and rose to her feet, still holding her daughter close to her chest. Lady Mother came walking into the room, her eyes focused on Ai but lacking the heavy disapproving gleam.

"My Lady," Ai whispered, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you for caring for my children while Sesshomaru was saving the village below."

Lady Mother nodded her head. "I will always be there to protect my grandchildren, should they need it. With a pair of parents like you two…" She snuck a glance at Sesshomaru. "I doubt that I will have to do much protecting." She smiled slightly and touched a hand to Ai's shoulder. "I will be the first to be informed when the next child comes, my dear. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Lady," Ai said, staring at the woman.

"Good." Lady Mother turned away. "Welcome to the family, Ai. My husband would have been proud of both of you."

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Please read and review responsibly my good friends. I accept all reviews as means to help me get better at writing and for correcting errors that I may have missed. Please remember to review and I thank you for spending your time reading this. -Scarlet**


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